AFTER THE HUNT

Every now and then I come up with a dish on the fly that in its simplicity also seems so complex. I tend to cook what I have on hand at the moment, adding this, adding that. I feel like my best dishes come from that style of cooking, a feral art.

Miso Garlic Butter:

10 cloves peeled garlic

Vegetable oil to cover

1 cup blonde miso

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 stick unsalted butter

In a heavy bottom pan add 10 cloves of peeled garlic and cover with a vegetable oil. Cook on low heat until garlic is soft and caramelized set aside to cool. Save oil for vinaigrette or other projects.

In a mixing bowl add 1 cup of miso 2 tablespoons of soy and all 10 cloves of garlic. Mix well. Add in one stick of room temperature unsalted butter and fold together. This would be good used as a vinaigrette base as well. I’d like to add a few pinches of chili flake for spice, but this is optional.

Smoked Duck:

2 pieces of duck breast

Black pepper

1 king oyster mushroom

Truffle salt

1 slice good bread like brioche

Season two cleaned and dried mallard breast heavily with black pepper. Smoke at 220°F until Duck reaches an internal temperature of 125°F.

On medium high heat, sauté small mushroom dice until they have nice color strain out of pan and add in duck breast for two minutes adding a tablespoon of the miso garlic paste to coat at the end. Set aside to rest.

Toast a slice of nice bread with butter until golden brown. I used a toast a slice of nice bread with butter until golden brown. Are used a round cookie cutter to make it look nice. Top toast round with diced duck and mushroom mixture and seasoned with truffle salt. I get my truffle salt from Los poblanos in Albuquerque New Mexico. I garnished mine with onion flowers and nasturtium flower petals.

One of my all time favorites and go to recipe is carnitas. They are flavorful and easy to cook. My version of the recipe is not totally traditional. I like to lighten it up and use things that I can find around me in the late August early September months. If you don't like the idea of using real sugar cokes, then don't use it. You may substitute piloncillo, an unrefined sugar, and water.

1 pound salt pork, large cubed

Pig skin or pig ears, you may use the skin from the salt pork

1 white onion, rough chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 pound block of lard

10 dove plucked and cleaned doves quartered and hearts (trust me)

1 bunch fresh thyme, whole

1 bunch fresh oregano, whole

2 sticks Mexican cinnamon

1 Meyer lemon (or small orange), peeled, rind and juice

3 Mexican real sugar cokes

In a deep, heavy bottom pan or dutch oven brown the salt pork.

Add onions and garlic to pan and and saute for a few minutes.

Then add lard and allow it to melt and begin to slightly fry ingredients in pan.

Next add dove and remainder of the ingredients and simmer for about an hour on medium/high heat until meat is tender and the cloudy look of the coke and lard turns semi clear.

Pick all the meat and some of the lemon peel out. Pull apart the meat to prep for serving.

Finish off on flat top or cast iron pan till caramelized.

I prefer to garnish with charred jalapeno, chimichuri and a slice of lime or Meyer lemon.

Here is a video I did a few years back with my friends from Original Fare.